The government has jilted the people of yet another promise when it decided to put the Padang Besar hospital project on hold, Perlis PKR Youth chief Mohd Sharun Radzi said.

The Economic Planning Unit (EPU) decided to postpone the RM198 million project announced in 2011 because the government cannot afford it.

"The federal government greedily spends RM450 million on a luxury jet for the prime minister  but people who live in Padang Besar are forced to make a 40-minute journey back and forth to Hospital Tuanku Fauziah in Kangar for treatment.

“What are the government’s priorities?” he asked in a statement.

He said delaying a crucial project like the hospital only shows that the ‘People First’ slogan is merely rhetoric.

“People are haunted by rising cost of living while the government prioritises the luxury of leaders,” he said.

Project too expensive

Yesterday, Perlis Health and Rural Development Committee chairperson Jafperi Othman said the EPU has put the Padang Besar hospital project on hold because it is too expensive.

The federal government, however, approved the construction of a health clinic in Padang Besar, which can cater to 200 patients.

This comes after Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC)'s budget was slashed from RM510 million to RM387 million.

In 2011, then Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai said a new hospital is critical since Hospital Tuanku Fauziah can no longer cope with growing demand, Utusan Malaysia then reported.

The Prime Minister's Office said luxury jet, which is part of the fleet of government VIP aircraft, was bought through a 15-year hire purchase contract to replace an older jet.

The purchase courted much public backlash given the government's implementation of the goods and services tax on April 1.

However, International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamad justified the purchase by saying that it will help cut travel time and speed up timgovernment business.

Agriculture and Agri-based Industry Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said Indonesian president Joko Widodo flies in a government executive jet which is even bigger .